Over the years a great many rings and attachments for rings have been designed which allow a single ring to be adapted for wear on fingers of different size. Such rings and attachments are of particular use in situations where the wearer suffers from a temporary gain or loss of weight, or has acquired the ring and for sentimental or other reasons does not desire to change the size.
Perhaps the commonest solution to this problem is the conventional ring guard which is simply a strip of metal having bendable gripping members at its extremities. In use, such ring guards are placed inside the ring and bent in such a manner that the strip, together with a portion of the ring, defines a passage of desired ring size for receiving the wearer's finger. The gripping members are then bent around the shank and secured to it in this manner.
However, such an adjustable ring has a number of disadvantages. For example, the ring is uncomfortable and the guard tends to wear and fatigue with use. It is also usually not possible or practical to make the guard out of the same precious metal as the ring. Accordingly, with the passage of time, the guard's gold plating or other precious covering tends to corrode away or become worn.
A different solution to the same problem is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,956 to Manne. In accordance with this patent, the disclosed ring includes a pair of pivotally-mounted shank elements. One of the shank elements has a tube at its end while the other shank element has a rod at its end. The rod is inserted into the tube and the pivotally-mounted shank elements are rotated inserting the rod into the tube a desired distance and thus varying the size of the ring. However, this ring includes springs and other elements which cannot be made of precious metal, giving rise to corrosion problems.
Still another approach to this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,017,754 to Manne et al. In accordance with this patent, a ring shank is comprised of a number of elements which are interlinked together and thus form a separable shank of variable size. However, the construction of this ring is complicated and its durability accordingly suffers. Moreover, the ring is, because of the configuration of its parts, relatively expensive to manufacture.
In accordance with the present invention, the above-mentioned disadvantages of prior art multiple-sized rings are obviated. The design of the ring is very classic in appearance and its construction may be accomplished with conventional ring-making equipment. Its construction may be all in precious metal or in a less precious material such as plastic or the like. Its mechanical construction lends it durability and beauty of appearance.